Tag Archives: salsa

Typically my Monday and Friday mornings consist of 20 minutes of playground duty. Most of these mornings lately are blustery, cold mornings noted with me standing in one spot jumping around to stay warm and counting down the minutes until the bell rings. Or most recently trying to manage the sledding penguins students as they play on the glaciers on the playground.

But every morning I find it so interesting that our students play football every day; wind, rain, snow, sleet, and sun. They even find a way to play when they can’t even see the goal lines because they are covered in snow mounds. The only time there is not a football game in play is when the game gets banned by school administration for previous problems or disputes on the playground.

Now with this game, comes controversy, disagreements, but also a great sense of sportsmanship is created in every game played. Even though I think our teachers find that sportsmanship hard to see at times, it is there embedded in the snow covered goal lines on our playground. Sportsmanship encompasses fairness, ethics, and fellowship. Each morning our students organize themselves and play the game, most often refereeing the game themselves too. They foster respect for their younger peers and teach them the game as well. It has created a fellowship in our community, that in return has created state championship quality football programs.

I actually overheard a students say today, “I hope our new student tomorrow is good at football.”

With Superbowl LI right around the corner, I always hope that this same small town mentality of sportsmanship is demonstrated at the biggest event for football in America. As we all know last year there was much controversy with cheating in the NFL. It really saddened me, because I know how many of my young students look up to these career athletes and I think this type of play is the epitome of poor sportsmanship.

As parents and educators I think it is our job to help continue to foster those beliefs of playing fair, including others, and becoming a good winner and loser. It is these values that carry through to many other areas of our lives; school, friends, and family. Sportsmanship is a vital attribute to understand in order to be successful in life. How will you share good sportsmanship with your family?

So while we are watching with the rest of America this Sunday, remember sportsmanship and what it means. While you are doing that let’s enjoy some yummy food! I have to admit I am not a huge football fan myself, but I do love the array of Super Bowl recipes that popup this time of year. This year during the Superbowl I am striving to create recipes that aren’t too filling, but also one that would satisfy the typical football food feast.

Behold cucumber salsa! This salsa is amazing. It is refreshing, light and perfect for your game day spread this year. I actually like this salsa the next day because after it sits in the refrigerator for a day or so the flavors really mesh together nicely. Cheers to a fair, honest game of football for Superbowl LI!

The definition of spicy equates to flavored with or fragrant with spice. Isn’t there just a ton of spice in life everyday? Throughout our lives we can have pretty bland, boring days sometimes, but other times the day can be packed full of colorful, lively, exciting events that make the day seem “spicy” in a way.

Lately I have begun to notice how I react to those hot, pungent moments in life and how it affects my mood. I see others around me and the amount of strength and courage that they put forth as they encounter immense struggles. I find that understanding the struggles of others has helped me to grasp the sheer power of how your mindset affects your attitude and ability to push forward in life.

Life can really toss your some crazy curveballs, but having a positive outlook during those times of struggle can totally change the whole ballgame.

This salsa recipe mimics that mentality. You can add just as much heat as you want, the more heat you add, the spicier it gets. It’s all about how much you put forth. If you put forth a positive attitude, you will get more out of life. If you don’t put in the time, effort, or power, your life may just be a little more bland. And if you walk around with a negative attitude and your head hung low, your life with carry that same persona.

This recipe is the perfect combination of all your favorite garden produce and it can be savored all year long with the right canning process. So stay positive, add some spice to your life, and make the salsa….you won’t be disappointed.

Put tomatoes in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook at a slow boil for 1 hour. Add seasonings and simmer at a low boil for 1/2 hour. Add onions and peppers and simmer for 15 minutes, add tomato paste and simmer for 15 minutes more. Process for 15 minutes in hot water bath.